pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleDatabaseException

Database.Exception.UnableToDisableAutoCommit

Error message

Database.Exception.UnableToDisableAutoCommit (i18n: Unable to disable auto-commit on database connection {0})

What it means

i18n-keyed KettleDatabaseException (Database.Exception.UnableToDisableAutoCommit) thrown by Database.setAutoCommit(false) when Connection.setAutoCommit(false) throws a SQLException. Thrown when the driver cannot start manual-transaction mode — usually a broken connection or driver/pool restriction. Required before manual commit/rollback can work.

Solutions

1. Reconnect if the connection is closed/broken, then retry setAutoCommit(false)
2. Close open statements/result sets before changing autocommit mode
3. Check pool configuration that may lock autocommit to true
4. Verify driver support for manual transaction mode

Example fix

// before
database.setAutoCommit( false );
// after
if ( database.getConnection() != null && !database.getConnection().isClosed() ) {
  database.setAutoCommit( false );
} else {
  database.connect();
  database.setAutoCommit( false );
}

Connection c = database.getConnection();
if ( c == null || c.isClosed() ) {
  database.connect();
}

boolean canStartTransaction( Database db ) throws SQLException {
  Connection c = db.getConnection();
  return c != null && !c.isClosed() && c.getAutoCommit();
}

try {
  database.setAutoCommit( false );
} catch ( KettleDatabaseException e ) {
  database.disconnect();
  database.connect();
  database.setAutoCommit( false );
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Database.setAutoCommit(false) when connection.setAutoCommit(false) throws SQLException — dead connection, open result sets/transactions the driver won't allow transitioning from, or restricted pooled/XA connections.

Common situations: Beginning a manual transaction over a connection killed by the DB, drivers forbidding autocommit toggle with open cursors, connection pools enforcing autocommit=true.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid state transition" errors: "status must be X, actually Y", "already rejected/charging/uninstalled", "cannot ... while running" — what they mean when a library rejects your call — this error's family across 31 libraries.

Related errors

• Database.Exception.UnableToEnableAutoCommit
• Database.Exception.UnableToReleaseSavepoint
• Database.Exception.UnableToRollbackToSavepoint
• Database.Exception.UnableToSetSavepoint
• Database.Exception.UnableToSetSavepointName

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/87a506490fbc2773. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/core/database/Database.java:1084

      if ( log.isDebug() ) {
        log.logDebug( "Can't turn auto commit " + onOff + Const.CR + Const.getStackTracker( e ) );
      }
    }
  }

  public void setCommitSize( int size ) {
    commitsize = size;
  }

  public void setAutoCommit( boolean useAutoCommit ) throws KettleDatabaseException {
    try {
      connection.setAutoCommit( useAutoCommit );
    } catch ( SQLException e ) {
      if ( useAutoCommit ) {
        throw new KettleDatabaseException( BaseMessages.getString(
          PKG, "Database.Exception.UnableToEnableAutoCommit", toString() ) );
      } else {
        throw new KettleDatabaseException( BaseMessages.getString(
          PKG, "Database.Exception.UnableToDisableAutoCommit", toString() ) );
      }
    }
  }

  /**
   * Perform a commit the connection if this is supported by the database
   */
  public void commit() throws KettleDatabaseException {
    commit( false );
  }

  public void commit( boolean force ) throws KettleDatabaseException {
    try {
      // Don't do the commit, wait until the end of the transformation.
      // When the last database copy (opened counter) is about to be closed, we
      // do a commit
      // There is one catch, we need to catch the rollback

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